CHERUB: Codename SKYELARK
by lucksby92
Summary: This is an Avengers/CHERUB crossover. Skye is a top CHERUB agent, but one day after preventing CHERUB being hacked a past that she has being trying to out run catches up with her. What will happen when she goes on a mission to get captured by SHIELD? And what will happen when she runs into her long lost father?
1. Chapter 1

**Author's note: I obviously don't own either CHERUB of The Avengers, however much I wish I did.  
The first couple of chapters are very CHERUB based, but the Avengers link will become clear very soon, so do give it a chance!  
** **I hoped to try and make this story unique, so please enjoy!**

CHAPTER 1

WHAT IS CHERUB?

CHERUB is a branch of British Intelligence. Its agents are aged between ten and seventeen years. CHERUBs are mainly orphans who have been taken out of care homes and trained to work undercover. They live on CHERUB campus, a secret facility in the English countryside.

WHAT USE ARE KIDS?

Quite a lot. Nobody realises kids do undercover missions, which means they can get away with all kinds of stuff that adults can't.

-Robert Muchamore  
-

Skye Devlin pushed her way through the hordes of teenagers, keen to find some fresh air and respite from the music blaring through several large speakers. She stepped onto the balcony letting the night air was over her for a while before pulling out her buzzing smartphone.

 **1 NEW MESSAGE**

It was from CHERUB's chairwoman Zara Asker, Skye opened it.

 **Firewall has been breached. Come to mission control ASAP.**

"Shit", Skye swore, turning back and ploughing through the party before sprinting down several flights of stairs, sliding around in her socks then bursting through a door and out into the night. She would never ignore a SOS call from Zara, especially when Skye knew that with its information vulnerable, CHERUB was under threat.


	2. Chapter 2

CHAPTER 2

She burst into the conference room in the mission control building, a little out of breath and plopped herself straight down in front of the complex computer set up.

Zara surveyed her best agent, long brown hair fell in waves down a black CHERUB t-shirt that denoted her as one of the agency's senior agents. It was paired with tatty denim shorts that showed off long tanned legs, and trainer socks, now a rather dirty white courtesy of the sprint from the main building. CHERUB's last defence, Zara thought.

"When?" Was Skye's first question.

"We realised only minutes before I texted you", Zara replied.

"This guy is good", was the girl's only answer, she was already hard at work trying to repair the organisation's firewall.

"Correction", she justified, "very good."  
-

All Zara and the senior staff gathered could do was watch and wait as Skye beat off the cyber-attack over the next hour. Some might have called the use of an underage agent in this situation unconventional, but Skye had an IQ that Einstein would be proud of and an unparalleled ability with technology. She was the only person Zara ever called on in this kind of situation. Skye always proved that she was the best.

The tense silence was broken by a small shout of triumph.

"Gotcha", Skye grinned, before looking up to Zara, "permission to start a trace on the IP address?"

Zara stood up and moved behind her, "Go for it."

"Ok…" Skye trailed off. Strange, she thought. "That's…"

Zara looked at her in confusion.

"That's very weird", the girl said.

"Care to elabora-", Zara was cut off by a cry from the girl,

"I'm through", she sounded shocked, "I can access and download all their files", Skye looked up, "Zara?"

Zara considered. It would tell them exactly who was hacking them, something she would be really interested in knowing, as officially they didn't exist but-

"Zara!" Skye was more urgent this time, "I won't be able to keep this open much longer! What do you want me to do?"

"Do it!"  
-

"Now", Skye said, leaning back in her chair, "who are you?" She flicked up a file and suddenly looked both very shocked and extremely worried.

"What?", Zara asked, concern filling her tone.

"The organisation that just tried to hack us is run by the US government. It says it's called SHIELD."


	3. Chapter 3

CHAPTER 3

Skye curled up on the sofa in Zara's office. The chairwoman was sat at the other end, and both were surrounded by various laptops and tablets as they attempted to sift through all of the SHIELD files.

It had been a minor miracle that Skye had managed to find a way of downloading the files the night before, but an even greater one that they could actually read any of them. Zara had Skye to thank for this. Last night, after they had realised what they were dealing with, she had produced a small memory stick that she simply called KEY. This, Skye had explained, was a piece of decryption software she had come up with that would decrypt all of SHIELD's files. Pretty damn impressive for a seventeen year old.

However now it came to actually reading through the files to look for any clues that would tell them why SHIELD hacked them in the first place, neither of them liked what they saw. Some of it was disgusting, some was simply terrifying.

"So let's evaluate what we've learnt." Zara said running a hand through her blond hair.

"Well it looks to me", Skye said leaning back, "as if this organisation SHIELD deals with extra-terrestrial events, and people who have freaky powers. And yet whilst I fully understand why this stuff was kept secret, I don't think it helps us work out their motives for attempting to hack CHERUB."

Zara sighed in agreement and reached for her coffee. "Somehow we have to get inside this organisation, find out how the hell they even know we exist." She heard Skye hum in agreement.

God what a mess.

"I suppose", the girl began, "if we were to launch a mission, I could have another go at hacking them, but this time be a bit more careless. That would give them my location, not here obviously, I'd have to do it from elsewhere, but that would get their attention and let them-"

"Let them take you in." Zara finished. "You saw those interrogation tapes Skye, I don't want to hand you over to people that might hurt you."

"They wouldn't." Skye was confident but received only a raised eyebrow from Zara, "I mean it", she said, "if they even tried I would simply play my trump card."

Zara's eyes widened, if Skye was even contemplating using that… God, that scared her. Skye's secret was one that she had made clear she would die to protect.

"You're serious? I mean-"

"Yes." Skye's answer was immediate. "I would. I know what I've said and done in the past to protect it, but I will do anything, ANYTHING, to ensure CHERUB stays safe."

Zara took a second to process this outburst. It was no less than she should have expected from the girl, but even so, that was a massive promise. Because Skye's trump card was her identity. Nothing more. Simply her true surname.

She smiled sadly at the girl, coming to her decision. "Well let's hope it doesn't come to that then." She saw the excited gleam leap up in Skye's eyes.

"Get any equipment you might need together and I'll contact the ethics committee."

"Hell yes!" Skye yelled, "Let's go kick some SHIELD ass!"


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I don't own either the CHERUB series or Avengers, obviously...**

 **Author's note: Thank you everyone for reading, and to those who followed and favourite especially, I hope you enjoy this chapter! Please read and review!**

CHAPTER 4

Skye sat in a small room, multiple computers humming all around her, belching out heat. The room was a tip, files littered the floor, there were drinks bottles, wrappers and massive books on hacking all around her. However she hadn't been the one to make the mess, it had all been set up for her before she had arrived. The aim of the game was to get to SHIELD's HQ without them getting suspicious. Or more suspicious than they already were…

This was phase one. Skye's fingers flew across the keyboard, she couldn't make it too easy for them. A voice came through the comms unit hidden deep in her ear.

"Skye, report." It was Zara.

"I'm in again", she replied, "and they most definitely have my location by now."

"Ok, stay safe, and for God's sake stick to the plan." Zara replied and Skye could hear her sigh.

"Roger that, Skye out."

It was another ten minutes before Skye noticed any suspicious activity outside the window; this was the reason that they had picked this small town in Nevada. Here it was easy to spot anything that looked out of place.

A big black hummer had pulled up in the street below and Skye could see another coming round the street corner.

"Show time", she said for Zara's benefit, before moving into action.

SHIELD Agent Phil Coulson pulled up outside a nondescript two storey house and let the car idle.

* * *

"You sure this is the place Fitz?"

"Positive." Was the answer he received. Ok he thought, let's do this.

SHIELD had been in uproar after the disaster in which an unknown organisation had stolen copies of all of their files. There was stuff in there that they certainly did not want getting into the wrong hands. The hacker themselves was someone Director Fury was very keen to meet, and if possible recruit, a hacker of this calibre was very rare. However if it became impossible to recruit them…

Agent Coulson shook the thought out of his head and concentrated on the job in hand.

"All teams to move on my mark", he pulled out his gun, "Now!"

* * *

Below her Skye heard doors being kicked open and feet coming up the stairs. She had her orders, look like she was trying to destroy incrimination evidence, so she had just started a system wipe on the computers, and was now frantically shoving papers into the shredder. She deserved an Oscar if she did say so herself.

The door suddenly flew open, "Hands in the air!" Someone bellowed. Skye jumped around fixing a look of shock on her face,

"Shit!"

As Coulson entered the small room on the second floor he got a surprise. Surrounded by SHIELD agents pointing guns at her was a young woman who couldn't have been more than 19 years old. Not what he had expected the hacker to look like by a long shot.

She was dressed only in a t-shirt and shorts with messy hair cascading down her back, hands held gingerly in the air and face looking almost sheepish.

Coulson moved forwards,

"My name is Agent Coulson, and I'm with SHIELD", he stated, "Although you probably already knew that."

She hummed in reply, her eyes darting around to the burley agents who still had her in her sights, before a small smile appeared on her face, "Aren't you meant to be dead?"

Her hands were deftly cuffed behind her by Agent Ward who then leant forwards to study the screen of the nearest computer.

"She's started a wipe on these boss."

Coulson turned back to the girl, "I suppose there's no way of stopping it now is there?" She shook her head in response.

"Alright", he said, "Ward, take her to the car, Taylor, start getting all of this packed up, and send it to the lab."

"Yes sir", came two replies as Coulson watched the girl get shepherded out of the room.


	5. Chapter 5

**It really is amazing how quickly I can get stuff updated when I'm " _revising_ " for exams... So enjoy the fruits of my procrastination everyone!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own CHERUB of the Avengers obviously... only my OC Skye and her plot line are mine.**

CHAPTER 5

Skye sat with her hands cuffed behind her at a metal table in an interrogation room on board what she guessed must be SHIELD's Helicarrier, the one that had been referenced in the files she had read.

They had left her alone after dumping her in here, probably to let her stew. What they would be wanting was a confession, for her to tell them how she, a mere teenager, had managed to hack them, one of the most secretive agencies affiliated with the US government. What they would get however, would be something quite different, Skye intended to cause them as great a headache as possible.

The door opened and Agent Coulson walked in followed by the man she supposed was the director. Both sat opposite her and Coulson began to read off the top sheet of paper in a slim file.

"Skye Campbell, age 19, parents diseased and a fugitive computer hacker."

Skye allowed herself a small internal smile at that, CHERUB's team really were the best, so much so that these guys bought the fake background story hook, line and sinker. That was good to know, especially as they clearly thought that they were hot shit, it was nice to have something over them, even if they didn't know it yet.

"Let me tell you the way this works Miss Campbell." It was the director who began the interrogation. "We will get the information we want, and it doesn't matter to us how we get it. Niceties aren't observed if you make us desperate. And I assure you, with the security of my agency on the line, I am very desperate." Threat oozed from the man's tone, "So, let's starts with the basics. Who are you working for?"

At his words Skye's face dropped into a well-schooled mask, completely devoid of any emotion, as she sat in front of them letting her silence do the talking.

Coulson saw the annoyance in Director Fury's face as he growled, "I'll ask you again. Who do you work for?"

Skye remained impassive. It pissed her off that this whole thing had started off when SHIELD hacked CHERUB. Not the other way around. She had just been defending her territory; it wasn't her fault that she was better than SHIELD's people. And whilst she had suggested this course of action, now it came to it, the fact that it was her sitting cuffed to a chair and not one of this man's agents was a tad annoying. Also, this man was really starting to rub her up the wrong way with his superior attitude. She'd had enough.

The girl looked straight into Fury's eyes, letting her face fill with contempt as she spat,

"Codename: SKYELARK"


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: I know this update has been a while in the coming, but now that exams are pretty much finished updates should become more regular. Thanks for bearing with me on this one. Also thank you to everyone who has read this so far, it really means a lot so please R and R!**

 **Disclaimer: As usual I have to admit that I don't own either the Avengers or CHERUB, only any my OC and her storyline.**

CHAPTER 6

 _ **Previously…**_

 _The girl looked straight into Fury's eyes, letting her face fill with contempt as she spat,_

" _Codename: SKYELARK"_

* * *

Director Fury and the CHERUB Agent held each other's glares across the interrogation room, in a silence that seemed to stretch into eternity. It was he who broke first,

"Excuse me?"

"You heard what I said", the girl retorted before leaning back in her chair in a gesture which Coulson identified as one that signalled that she had decided the conversation was over. Something that worried Agent Phil Coulson no end; the girl shouldn't have been in a position to decide anything. Skye Campbell just seemed too confident, too assured; it wasn't that Coulson hadn't seen it before, he had, but only in some of the most experienced agents he had come across. It took quite some courage to stand up to Fury's temper without losing your cool, or ending up in an argument that he would most certainly win by pure intimidation.

However, with a glare sent in her direction Fury swept out of the interrogation room to try and find out what the hell she was talking about, however Coulson hung back.

"You seem pretty comfortable with all this", he said in a last ditch effort to get her to open up about herself, "I wouldn't expect that in someone so young."

In response she simply lifted an eyebrow, "You have no idea."

* * *

On the bridge of the SHIELD Helicarrier Fury was pacing. The girl Skye Campbell, though he doubted that was her real name, had succeeded in really pissing him off. Something about her smug confidence got to him even though it really shouldn't. She was only 19 years old for Christ's sake!

A shout came up from one of the computer control stations, "Sir, I've found SKYELARK!" The director strode over, eager to catch in whatever game the girl in interrogation was playing. He peered over the shoulder of the agent at the files scrolling across the screen.

"Um Sir? It seems- it seems that SKYELARK isn't a what, but rather a who…"

* * *

Hundreds of miles away in the mission control building on CHERUB campus, Zara Asker waited for the computer signal, biting her lip and going over and over the plan in her mind.

"They've accessed the files ma'am!" It was one of the video conference room techies who alerted her.

"Okay", she took a deep breath; this was her signal, "make the call."

What Director Fury, and indeed SHIELD as an entity didn't know was that Skye herself had programmed the files on SKYELARK to notify CHERUB when they were opened by SHIELD. This was Zara's cue, Skye's ticket out of there, and it would herald Fury having to eat humble pie.

* * *

Fury's eyes tore through the information on the screen in front of him, becoming more shocked by the second. What the hell was all this?

"Director Fury."  
"Not now Agent Hill." He said brushing off his second in command.  
"Sir, there is a rather angry woman from British Intelligence of the line for you, she says she's chairwoman of something called CHERUB."

Fury's head shot up and he flew out of the room, coat billowing behind him. This was what the file had been about. A seventeen year old girl called Skye Devlin, a CHERUB Agent employed by the British Government. The girl in the interrogation room was SKYELARK.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Hi everyone, sorry it's been so long since I last updated, I feel really awful to have left you all hanging, but between exams, musicals and the loss of wifi for several weeks it just hasn't happened. Anyway, here is a extra long chapter to make up for it!  
** **Quick shout out to everyone who has followed, favourite and reviewed! I'm so glad that people are enjoying this story, as I thought initially that it wouldn't get much attention because it was the first CHERUB/AVENGERS crossover, please do continue to enjoy!  
DISCLAIMER: I do not pretend to own either the Avengers or CHERUB, obviously! **

CHAPTER 7

In the end the deal was made quickly between Fury, Zara and Skye; Fury realised that an agent like SKYELARK was a huge asset, after all she had freely admitted that she was actually only 17, and for a 17 year old she was incredibly effective, not to mention successful. Fury could see her use in the bigger picture, and he wanted in. So it was agreed that if Fury ever found himself in need of a CHERUB agent, he would have his pick of suitable ones who were available to help SHILED. The information that Zara and Skye had already learned was easily enough in return.

And so as a show of goodwill Fury, Coulson and Skye went for a tour around the SHIELD Helicarrier, and Skye had to admit that she was very impressed. It was ridiculously well equipped and had tech that British Intelligence could only dream of. She commented this to Coulson.

"Well it wasn't always like this, we do develop some of it ourselves, but really we have Stark to thank for much of this stuff." He smiled at the look of realisation that dawned on her face, however it stiffened the next moment as a loud voice came from around the next corner.

"I heard my name!"

"No fucking way…" Skye mumbled, of course she had to run into-

"Tony Stark", the man grinned coming to a halt in front of the group, "a little young for you isn't she Coulson?" he said indicating to her. "Oh by the way, did your guys pick up the hacker yet? I want to know how they got through my firewall.

His firewall? Skye cursed internally, of all the people in the world she had to pick a fight with via technology she had to get him, a genius, billionaire, superhero who also happened to be her long lost…

"Wait who did you say you were again?" The man's cocky tone sliced into her consciousness cutting off the internal monologue that she had going on.

She looked him straight in the eye as she replied, "I didn't." It came out short and left no room for enquiry, and given the secretive nature of the two men she was with, who Stark clearly knew, she hoped that it would be enough to deter him from any further questions. It wasn't.

"In that case, it's a pleasure to meet you Miss…" It was accompanied by a brilliant smile, but Skye didn't buy it.

"Agent SKYELARK, Mr Stark.

"Oh", he looked thoughtful for a moment, "never heard of you."

She snorted and raised an eyebrow, "That is kind of the point."

He disregarded her last comment entirely and turned to Fury, resuming the line of questioning he had been on before he got distracted by Skye, "Well, have you? I mean, come on I haven't got all day you know, I'm a busy guy", this was directed to her now, "places to be, people to save."

"Oh we did, don't worry about that Stark, we did." Fury's voice held a hint of amusement that Skye didn't share. God the man was going to go mental when he realised that the hacker he was so interested in had been standing in front of him with the head of SHIELD, halfway around a tour of the Helicarrier, the base of the organisation that she had hacked in the first place.

"Well?" He asked, "are you going to let me talk to them to figure out how they got in, or am I going to have to play Chinese whisperers through Agent Coulson here?"

At this point Skye decided to step in; attack, she had decided, would be the best form of defence in this situation.

"No that won't be necessary Mr Stark." The heads of all three men swivelled to look at her.

"Um, exactly what have you got to do with anything?" Stark's voice was incredulous.

She answered simply with a smile, she had decided how to play this situation now, it might piss the billionaire off, but it would also ensure that he wouldn't want to ask too many questions.

"Agent SKYELARK…" Fury's tone carried a hint of warning.

"With all due respect Director", she stated addressing him, "I think that this is my situation to handle as I feel best." After a moment, Fury nodded giving her permission to continue. "Exactly what do I have to do with this Mr Stark? Well really quite a lot actually. You know, I'm surprised that it didn't take me longer now I learn that you were the creator of the firewall, I'd heard that your systems were meant to be damn nigh impenetrable, but hey, human error and all that."

As she spoke Tony Stark's face had been growing more and more angry, as, with cockiness that could have rivalled his own, the young woman made him look a complete idiot in front of two men that he liked to have power over.

"You?" His voice was quiet, but the venom in it was clear, "You hacked me? Then what the hell are you doing just letting her wander round here as she pleases!?"

Here, Coulson stepped in, "Agent SKYELARK is with British Military Intelligence, unfortunately we were using one of your programmes to attempt to breach their systems at the time and she was responsible for defending them. Both SHIELD and her division of MI6 perceived the other to be a threat because we had never heard of each other before. The misunderstanding has been rectified and we are planning to work together in the future, no harm has been done Mr Stark, in fact it's quite the opposite. Today has been very productive in terms of forging new bonds of trust.

"Bonds of trust my ass." Stark growled, he was quite clearly livid at being beaten at his own game by nothing more than Skye, who he clearly didn't view as a worthy adversary. He stalked up to her so he stood mere inches away, although she didn't appear intimidated in the least, in fact she looked totally at ease with the situation. "You had better watch yourself Agent SKYELARK, because I am pissed off, big time, and you have set a challenge. I always win, and I will win again."

Skye flicked her hair over her shoulder, not showing any concern at Stark's words, "You may find this hard to believe Mr Stark but I have been threatened by men I fear much more than you in the past, and in the end I have still come up on top every time. You say I've set a challenge, well bring it on."

With that she turned and strode away, Coulson hurrying after her, and Fury left trying to calm down a very irate Tony Stark.


End file.
